WesVLT

No worries. The rules are pretty vague and punting situations often seem nebulous.

I'm the BA announcer. While the McCallie player did touch the ball with his foot, that does not constitute downing the football. For a punt to be declared dead, it must: 1) Be stopped and controlled by a member of the punt team, or, 2) Come to a complete stop with no effort by the returner to pick it up. In this case, the McCallie player touched the ball with his foot, but did not control it. Taylor immediately made a move toward the football, negating condition #2. When I said on the broadcast that the player did not touch it, I didn't realize the McCallie player had even touched it with his foot. Call that a simple announcing goof. My color commentator was quick to correct me. But the officials were correct in their ruling.

The way he's playing this year, that attention will only increase. Butch Jones' presence at a game where Sanders caught a touchdown pass, ran for a score and returned a kick deep into McCallie territory won't hurt the junior's cause. Sanders' stats this year: 30 catches, 511 yards, 10 TDs 17 yards per catch, 2 rushing TDs 3 punt returns for 113 yards and a TD 29.5 yards per kickoff return He's really improved his game and turned into an explosive player.

OL/DL Jackson Pittman -- Jr, 6-2, 285 DB Aaquil Annoor -- Jr, 5-9, 160 -- Interest from Vandy, UT, UGA, Cincy WR CJ Sanders -- Jr, 5-10, 163 -- 4-star recruit according to 247Sports; multiple offers from SEC, Big 10, Pac 12 RB Shawn Brashers -- Jr, 6-1, 190 In addition, there are several sophomores who have earned varsity action this season and will pique the interest of college coaches as they gain more exposure. Offensive linemen Bryce Mathews and Ryan Johnson, defensive tackle Brandon Adams and safety Chris Hopkins are among the sophomores this coaching staff really likes.

BA tight end Derek Barnett committed to UT last week. Wide receiver CJ Sanders has offers from UT, Ohio State and others. And that's the tip of the iceberg when one looks at BA's talented underclassmen, many of whom have drawn D1 interest.

This game will go a long way toward determining each team's playoff seed, especially since Ensworth looms on both teams' schedules. BA is 18-2 all-time against the Red Raiders and has lost to them once since 1982. Both teams have convincing wins over McCallie, somewhat narrow losses to MBA and, predictably, blowouts of JPII. Those who have seen Baylor in person -- how does the matchup look to you? Raiders running back George Porter is one of DII's finest and went for 148 yards when the teams met last year. He and the rest of the Baylor offense were rendered ineffective in last week's 31-7 loss to uber-talented Oakland. Was that loss a reflection of the Raiders' worth, or was it an aberration? Any and all thoughts are welcome. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Three weeks remain until the all-inclusive postseason, and a parity-filled DII-AA field is hard to predict and harder to rank. 1) Ensworth This one's easy. The Tigers squeaked past Giles County last night, only managing to put up 21 points by the halfway mark of the first quarter. Thankfully for concerned fans, Ricky Bowers' team held on for a 48-7 win. Ensworth closes the DII slate with trips to Baylor and Brentwood Academy. Wins over those opponents would give the Tigers their second straight undefeated campaign. 2) MBA The Big Red held on against Father Ryan, snatching a victory from their historic rival in a seesaw battle. The hard-earned win was MBA's 20th straight in the series and the closest margin over the Irish in that stretch. A bye week awaits, with games against Pope John Paul and McCallie closing out the regular season. 3) Brentwood Academy The Eagles' 39-16 win over McCallie puts them in the third spot. Turnovers and penalties kept BA's halftime lead to seven, but Cody White's team outscored the Blue Tornado 22-6 in the third quarter to finish the job. Games against Baylor and Ensworth will test BA's mettle and determine the team's playoff seed. 4) Father Ryan Ryan's excruciating loss to MBA proved yet again that the Irish are an improved bunch. Once again, it was hard to decide whether Ryan should take the No. 3 spot ahead of Brentwood Academy, whom it beat 24-20 earlier this year. In my opinion, the Eagles are a more well-rounded team and would win the majority of the meetings between the squads. I can certainly understand others' inclination to rank Ryan ahead of BA, given their on-field result. We'll learn more when the Irish end the season with Baylor and McCallie. Next week's game against JPII may not tell us much. 5) Baylor The Red Raiders fell hard to 6A power Oakland 31-7 Friday. Baylor scored on its opening drive but were unable to summon any further points against a Patriots team that is expected to contend for a state title. If the Raiders are to beat BA, Ensworth and Father Ryan, they will need to reestablish the offensive rhythm that has them averaging 43 points in their five victories. 6) Memphis University School The Owls enjoyed a bye week following their route of Christian Brothers. MUS, which hasn't allowed an opponent to score double digits in any of its last four games, will visit struggling St. Benedict this week. 7) McCallie Ralph Potter's team is dealing with the consequences of a brutal schedule. The Blue Tornado hung with BA for a half Friday before succumbing to the Eagles' no-huddle offensive attack. The tired team has lost its last five games to opponents with a combined record of 27-6. The road doesn't get easier -- after a bye week, the Tornado host Father Ryan and MBA. This team would have a winning record if it didn't play one of the toughest schedules in the state. 8) Christian Brothers The Brothers rested Friday after a rough loss to MUS the week before. Next up is a showdown with Briarcrest that will likely determine the No. 2 seed in the West. The 3-4 Purple Wave haven't endured a losing season since 2004, but they'll be favored in each of their final three games. 9) Briarcrest A bye week allowed the Saints to prepare for an important game against Christian Brothers, will will probably decide whether they get a first-round playoff bye. Briarcrest hasn't beaten the Brothers since 2008 and has lost seven of the last eight in the series. 10) Pope John Paul JPII was another of the four DII teams that enjoyed a bye week. Thursday, a visit from Father Ryan will give the Knights some local TV exposure. Unfortunately for Jerry Joslin's squad, the public may not love what it sees -- JPII has scored two total touchdowns in four league contests. 11) St. Benedict The 1-6 Eagles lost 33-15 to Memphis Central Friday to up their losing streak to four. With games against MUS and Christian Brothers looming, this may not be the year St. Benedict breaks its two-year league losing skid.

Haha thanks bud...I'm not going anywhere. I love spirited, respectful discussion as much as anyone!

I'm choosing not to deal with you anymore. I've been around this site for 15 years, followed each DII team's rises and falls in that time and watched game film (or seen in person) of nearly every team in the league this year. The fact that my observations lead me to different opinions than you does not make me a homer, blind or anything like that. While I came here to rationally debate opinions, your condescending manner has made this thread untenable. Best of luck to the Owls this year -- I respect Coach Alston and hold the program in very high esteem. I would gladly respond to each of your points, but I'd rather spend my Saturday productively.

You're relentless. Different criteria combine to form any solid bit of analysis, but different people interpret data different ways. I hope that one day you consider my interpretation as valid as your own, even if you disagree with it. Now, let's move on to what should be an exciting week of football.

You, sir, are the man. I'd love to see George Quarles match wits with a DII club. There's no doubt the Rebels would hang and they certainty wouldn't be intimidated.

I'll pick Webb by two or three scores, but BGA is scrappy and well-coached and could certainly make a game of it.

I like MBA in this game but I think it'll be close for much of the contest. Big Red 27, Ryan 14. Full disclosure: I was gonna pick 31-14 but Tornadoes78 beat me to it and I don't wanna be a copycat.

Debate is fun, but when the arguments get circular/redundant, they become unproductive. I look forward to seeing these teams decide things on the field. Thank goodness there isn't a DII BCS -- imagine the controversy that would create!

1997.

If this site still had good marks, you'd get one from me.

You seem to be a bit flustered. Go grab a beverage of your choice and turn on some football...you'll feel better. These boards are for fun debate and discussion. Let's have a good time.

You're preaching to the choir. I've been a steady member of this site for nearly 15 years. This part of the board used to be hopping!

We've covered this topic ad nauseum, and it's driven many people away from this board. If you have something new -- or based in fact -- to contribute, we'll be glad to listen.

My subjective opinion is no better than yours - after all, they're opinions. You can argue the basis for my opinions all you want, but they won't change what I think about the merits of these teams. You've spent an awful lot of time on one piece of evidence I said was "small" to begin with. I'll repeat for the second time that the Liberty game was not the primary basis for my analysis, just a nugget of helpful information. Discard that game and we still have a 36-7 game that BA led by five scores until the Owls punched in a TD against backups. You may want to discount that, but it's the best piece of information we have since it directly involved the two teams. Has MUS improved since then? You bet. And my opinion -- my subjective analysis that cannot currently be proven right OR wrong -- is that BA is still the better team of the two. I'm glad you've offered your opinion on the rankings and won't attempt to change your mind. I am not obstinate -- my opinions are subject to change as game results give us a better picture of where these teams stand. We've spent way too much time arguing about something that is fluid and entirely subjective. Your attempt to predict my future rankings should BA lose is unnecessary and incorrect.

If you have allegations, turn them in. It's funny how everyone has these recruiting stories and yet somehow, magically, no DII school besides MBA has gotten in trouble in the last decade.

It's really interesting to me that CBHS discourages baseball players from playing football, since at most DII schools the opposite would be more likely. I guess it speaks to the power of the Brothers' baseball tradition. I've never been a fan of a coach limiting his players from participating in other off-season sports.

Perhaps you should read my previous posts more closely. I clearly said that BA's 36-7 win over MUS -- a dominant mercy-rule performance -- carried more weight than a four-point, last-second loss to Father Ryan. I have seen two Ryan games on film and one in person. I have seen every BA game. Based on my analysis of those games, BA is the better team, even though they weren't better that night. Since you suggest that one game should not be the lone basis for ranking teams, then surely you can understand my point. BA was clearly better than MUS when the two teams played; in fact, the Owls didn't manage a point against the Eagle starters. I cannot justify ranking MUS ahead of a team that mercy-ruled it simply because MUS beat a good Mississippi team and blew out a mediocre Christian Brothers squad. There's no doubt Bobby Alston's team has improved, and I expect the Owls to make some noise in the playoffs, but I haven't seen enough to disregard a 29-point shellacking. If the game had been closer, I would be willing to rank MUS more favorably. You are welcome, of course, to feel differently. You know this MUS team better than I do. I respect your analysis, but please know that mine is also made logically and with good support.

Interesting setup, isn't it? I hope one day the TSSAA decides to institute real playoffs instead of handing out free postseason participation. A good system would give berths to the top 2 teams from the West and the top 4 teams from East/Middle, with wild cards given to the next two best records. This year that would likely exclude Briarcrest, St. Benedict and JPII, three teams without championship hopes and with kids who would likely prefer to avoid a season-ending drubbing. Strangely enough, this year I would rather be the No 4 seed in the East than the No. 3. The 3-seed gets a first-round bye and a very winnable quarterfinal game against the West runner-up, but has to travel to Memphis in the quarterfinals and deal with Ensworth in the semis. The 4-seed gets a gimme first-round game, avoids a quarterfinal trip to Memphis and doesn't have to play Ensworth until the championship game. In a league with this much parity below the Tigers, the bottom half of the bracket is much more inviting. Christian Brothers' struggles especially surprise me when I look at the success its other sports have enjoyed. I'd be interested in owlbooster's take on why that program has been relatively stagnant.

I called the Liberty comparison a "small bit of evidence," not a primary reason for my decision to rank BA ahead of MUS. Comparative scores can indeed be sketchy, but when there is a big difference between two teams' performances against the same squad, one can use that difference to shed a little light on things. BA scored 45 points in the first half against Liberty and played its JV team in the final quarters. MUS led 14-6 at the break and labored to its win. Again, other factors were more important in my ranking, but it is not "stupid" to use all information at one's disposal, as long as each factor is given appropriate weight. As I said in my previous post, I admit that it is unfair that I haven't seen MUS play since Week Zero and therefore do not have the body of evidence I'd like to have in judging the Owls. Their recent resurgence has gotten them into the top five in the rankings. Their blowout loss to BA justifiably keeps them behind the Eagles.